After the Act
by Mrs.Peeta Mellark
Summary: A short, to-the-point flash forward in Katniss and Peeta's life. Probably 10-20 years after Catching Fire.


**As always, I don't own anything, I'm just messing with Suzanne Collins' amazing characters. A few notes about the kids' names: Azara really does mean "fire" (or according to some baby name site it does) and I stole "Sakari" from one of my favorite hockey players, Mikko Sakari Koivu. Thanks, Mikko.**

First, there was just Peeta and me. We survived two Games, started a rebellion and defeated the Capitol, all in a matter of about 3 years. Of course, this didn't happen without some tough times. We almost killed each other once, then his heart stopped 3 times and he was captured by the Capitol. And if that isn't enough, he was never sure if I really loved him or if I was just acting. But somehow, it all worked out, and we got married just before my 24th birthday.

After I killed President Snow and the rebellion took care of the Capitol and Hunger Games, Peeta became president of the country and having kids didn't seem so horrible anymore. So, almost a year after the wedding, I got pregnant for the first time and 9 nine months later, Azara Rue Mellark was born. Peeta somehow figured out that "Azara" meant "fire", so it made perfect sense that she was my daughter. And Rue, her middle name, was for sweet little Rue, who was too young to die at the Capitol's cruel hands. But despite her first name, she was clearly Peeta's child. She loves to bake, though she prefers that Daddy does the icing, and she has that impossibly sweet side to her that could only be from Peeta. Azara has curly blonde hair that somehow got a tint of orange in it and brilliant blue eyes, just like Peeta's.

Maybe it's just because they're so alike, but she taught me the real meaning of a "Daddy's girl". Azara holds his hand so much that I have to compete with her for it. She is very shy around new people, and tends to hide behind Peeta, but once she gets to know them, she is hyper and loud. She also got that uncanny ability to use words and, unfortunately for me, lie. As an oldest child, she also loves to be in charge. And I have no doubt that, if one of my children was to take over the president role someday, it would be her.

After Azara, we were very busy, but obviously not busy enough because when our firstborn was 2, she got a little brother, Cinna Sakari Mellark. Cinna's name was for the amazing stylist that got me so many sponsors with his beautiful dresses. The last time I saw him was right before the 2nd Games, when he was beaten and taken away. Finnick later discovered his body and we had a proper funeral for him. Peeta and I both decided that we didn't want any of or kids to have both of their names be from someone else, that we as parents should pick at least a middle name, so Sakari was purely choice.

With Cinna, we got to see how incredibly different it is to raise a boy. He seemed to run before he could walk, and eats as much as his older sister. Cinna has my dark hair and the same eyes as his sister with Peeta's wonderful smile. He is as much of a mix of Peeta and I that you could get. He loves to shoot his soft foam arrows around house, but showed his lovable, charming side when he came home from preschool one day announcing that he had a girlfriend. Because we've spent a lot of time on the coastline during his life, he's an amazing swimmer and admires Finnick just as much as he does Peeta and me. He's also very smart and can read at only 4 years old, so he'll probably grow up to make some scientifically advanced thing that will change everyone's lives.

Last but certainly not least is the youngest, Aria Belle Mellark. Since we had named both of our older children after significant people, we decided to choose both names for Aria. And because Peeta's genes had more of an impact on our first daughter, someone must have figured that it was only fair for Aria to get mine. She still has that sweet nature, but she's more independent and strong. She is the most outgoing of the three, and loves to be photographed by the occasional paparazzi. She also enjoys stomping around in the woods, but can be strangely quiet when she wants to be. Aria has my olive skin, gray eyes and dark hair, which I can't wait to be able to braid. She adores Gale and is always begging him to take her when he goes hunting, but she's only allowed in the woods when we're sure there are no arrows flying or snares set. Aria is only 2 years old, so it's a bit early to be planning her future, but whatever she does, it will have to be outdoors and will gain her a lot of attention.

With 3 kids and the president for a husband, we're a very busy family and I don't think we have enough time for another child. Besides, we've got everything we wanted, so we're done. But we weren't the only ones active in the past few years. Gale got married to a beautiful woman named Willow recently and they're thinking about having a child of their own. Haymitch got so busy with the rebellion that he's sobered up quite a bit. Not completely done being a drunk, but much better. Finnick got married to Annie and became vice president, which he's surprisingly good at it. I guess he's kind of like Peeta in the way he can convince people of just about everything. But since it wouldn't be fair if only they got important jobs, there is also an advising Council made up of Haymitch, Johanna, Gale, Plutarch Heavensbee and me. To get a law passed, three of us, Finnick and Peeta have to agree. We're still not sure how to make our system impossible for another Capitol to take over, so we're perfecting a voting system that we will give to future generations to use. But, until that's done, everyone is just fine with the way things are.

**See that little review button right over there? Yeah, whoever clicks that gets an e-cookie.**


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